HBO won’t be moving forward with a second season of its drama series “The Idol” from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye.
This comes two months after HBO had to deny a report that suggested the series wouldn’t be returning for a second season as it was always designed as a limited series.
The decision was reportedly only made recently as there was no set plan for a multi-season story, but there were options to continue following the end of the five-episode season.
The series, which stars Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star who falls under the sway of a Hollywood club owner (Tesfaye), premiered to scathing reviews whilst viewership fell short of some other recent HBO shows. An HBO spokesperson said in a statement:
“The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.”
The series famously underwent a creative overhaul midway through production in April last year – jettisoning executive producer Amy Siemetz and several cast members. Levinson ended up directing the entire season.
HBO says that in the 85 days since the series premiere, the first episode has grown to 7 million viewers but it hasn’t released any further figures about how the series performed.
Source: THR
